[Assam] Gita is new mantra for US businesses - HT

[Ram Sarangapani]

C'da,

>(unless they sowed some doubts in your own mind as well)? Come >on Ram

Hehehe! Of course, seeds of doubt did creep in my mind as well, I have to
confess.  That is why I was shocked that a reputable bidness magazine like
Businessweek and all these phoren businesses could fall prey to the wiles of
Gita-thumping desi bidenessmen and thinkers. The Gita after all has little
or no moorings - specially when one reads the myraids of posts on the
subject. I have come to the conclusion, the Gita is just a long drawn-out
song, and thats about it (with little or no relevant meaning). :):)

*>Is this the same C K Prahlad that has promoted little packages of consumer
>goods that hang like colorful link-sausages on 'paan-shops' across the
sub->continent to bring the good life to the deprived masses, never-mind how
they >can pay for them*?

Well, I really don't know who CKP is, but BusinessWeek? How could they take
it all in - hook, line & sinker?

>Just look at the temple-building, Gita-reciting, puja-performing,
pilgrimage->undertaking, Hinduttwa-promoting and asserting
business-communities and >'bepaaris'of India and their exemplary ethics thru
the centuries and how they have >set the bar on "holistic approach to
business" not to mention the establishing of >those "Hindu values" that the
world is making a bee-line to emulate today!

I know, isn't that just dreadful! How could these 2-bit beparis establish a
"Hindu Business Model" for the jet-settting, in-your-face US businesses.

But, somehow, a little bird tells me, the US Businesses are attracted by the
philosophical content in the Gita and not by bidness practices of the desi
paan-dukan.

You know how it is: The US/West often has to show the Injuns how to use and
benefit from their centuries old resources. Look at Yoga, Transcendental
meditation, Indians wern't interested until the Sahib got interested, now
that the Sahibs are interested in the Gita, be sure to see a surge of Gita
sales (and practices) in the des. :)

--Ram







On 10/26/06, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>  Ram, Ram, Ram !
>
>
> Tumi ki kotha koisa he'? What are you saying? Does anyone need to restate
> what is an universal truth? Would you open a debate on the fact of the sun
> rising on the east, just because some fool might have doubts about it, or
> dispute it, (unless they sowed some doubts in your own mind as well)? Come
> on Ram!
>
>
>
>
> Why I say that is because the proof is everywhere to be seen, all around
> us, ain't it? Just look at the temple-building, Gita-reciting,
> puja-performing,  pilgrimage-undertaking, Hinduttwa-promoting and asserting
> business-communities and 'bepaaris'of India and their exemplary ethics thru
> the centuries and how they have set the bar on "holistic approach to
> business" not to mention the establishing of those "Hindu values" that the
> world is making a bee-line to emulate today!
>
>
>
>
> c-da :-).
>
>
> PS: Is this the same C K Prahlad that has promoted little packages of
> consumer goods that hang like colorful link-sausages on 'paan-shops' across
> the sub-continent to bring the good life to the deprived masses, never-mind
> how they can pay for them?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> At 3:52 PM -0500 10/26/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
> Just can't believe this story. Wilh all the negativity about Hinduism, one
> would think, these business savvy mega corps/think tanks in the US would
> even think about the Gita (inspite of Hinduism supposedly not moored to
> strong, verifiable foundations :)).
>
>
>
> --Ram
>
>
>
> *Gita is new mantra for US businesses - Hindustan Times
> *
> Big businessess in the United States are embracing Indian philosophy in a
> significant but sometimes quirky new trend.
>
> A recent whirlwind East Coast tour by Swami Parthasarathy, one of India's
> best-selling authors on Vedanta, was just one small manifestation of the new
> trend, according to BusinessWeek magazine.
>
> Suddenly, phrases from ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita are
> popping up in management tomes and on websites of consultants, while top
> business schools have introduced "self-mastery" classes that use Indian
> methods to help managers boost their leadership skills and find inner peace
> in lives dominated by work.
> More important, India-born strategists also are helping transform
> corporations. Academics and consultants such as C.K. Prahalad, Ram Charan,
> and Vijay Govindrajan are among the world's hottest business gurus, Pete
> Engardio and Jena McGregor write in the Oct 30 issue of the publication.
>
> About 10 percent of professors at places such as Harvard Business School,
> Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business and the University of Michigan's
> Ross School of Business are of Indian descent -- far higher than other
> ethnic groups.
>
> "When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or
> [Dartmouth's] Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are reflected in
> the way we think and articulate," the weekly quotes Dipak C. Jain, dean of
> the Kellogg School as saying.
>
> Indian theorists, of course, have a wide range of backgrounds and
> philosophies. But many of the most influential acknowledge that common
> themes pervade their work.
>
> One is the conviction that executives should be motivated by a broader
> purpose than money. Another is the belief that companies should take a more
> holistic approach to business - one that takes into account the needs of
> shareholders, employees, customers, society and the environment.
>
> Some can even foresee the development of a management theory that replaces
> the shareholder-driven agenda with a more stakeholder-focused approach.
>
> "The best way to describe it is inclusive capitalism," the magazine says,
> citing Prahalad, a consultant and University of Michigan professor who
> ranked third in a recent Times of London poll about the world's most
> influential business thinkers. "It's the idea that corporations can
> simultaneously create value and social justice."
>
> You might also call it Karma Capitalism. For both organisations and
> individuals, it's a gentler, more empathetic ethos that resonates in the
> post-tech-bubble, post-Enron zeitgeist.
>
>
> These days, concepts such as "emotional intelligence" and "servant
> leadership" are in vogue. Where once corporate philanthropy was an
> obligation, these days it's fast becoming viewed as a competitive advantage
> for attracting and retaining top talent.
>
> Where the rallying cry in the 1980s and 1990s may have been "greed is
> good", today it's becoming "green is good".
>
> And while it used to be hip in management circles to quote from the sixth
> century BC Chinese classic The Art of War, the trendy ancient Eastern text
> today is the more introspective Bhagavad Gita, the Businessweek said.
>
> Earlier this year, a manager at Sprint Nextel Corp. penned the inevitable
> how-to guide: the key message of "Bhagavad Gita on Effective Leadership" is
> that enlightened leaders should master any impulses or emotions that cloud
> sound judgment. Good leaders are selfless, take initiative, and focus on
> their duty rather than obsessing over outcomes or financial gain, the weekly
> said.
>
> "The key point," it quotes Ram Charan, a coach to CEOs such as General
> Electric Co.'s Jeffrey R. Immelt, as saying "is to put purpose before self.
> This is absolutely applicable to corporate leadership today".
>
>
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